Chapter 280: A Different Life (1/2)

So guys, heads up for this chapter: there are a few POV changes. I don't intend on making this the norm for the rest of the story or anything. It's just interesting for me as an author to explore different perspectives at different times. It allows me to showcase other vantage points in realtime instead of telling events offhand after the fact.

This lets me inject a lot of tension into what would otherwise be dull, dry exposition sections. It's the classic adage of show don't tell. I understand this comes at the cost of both brevity and safety; you guys are here for Daniel's perspective, after all. I know that, and he will always remain the primary reference for The New World.

That being said, I believe that exploring more POV's in my works, though to a limited extent, can give this story more depth long term. I just ask that you all give me a chance at this before writing my attempts off. I'll be carefully selecting each POV with intention and purpose for these reasons going forward.

Thank you all for reading, regardless. Enjoy everybody.

-Alpha-

I stepped forward, afraid but determined. I turned back, and I saw the pride in my creator's eyes as I stood at the abyss' edge before me. This would be my first battle against the monsters I wished to destroy. This was why I was made, and it would be why I live.

I walked through a tunnel, two guards disintegrating a magical barrier for me. In an intermittent area, water funneled into the emptied space, the liquid similar to air but heavier. Stepping forward, another wall disappeared, and I walked into the vast city of coral and kelp. Here would be my arena and proving ground. I would not let my creator down.

The runes across my frame charged. My eyes, delicate yet unyielding, stared down my aggressors. They shifted with forms created for moving through this liquid. It wouldn't matter that they were given this place as their perfected stadium of war. I was made better, and I would prove that immediately.

Bending my knees, I shot forth from the sandy stone bed beneath me. It crumbled. Gravity molded under my touch, and I grazed my opponent's minds. Like delicate strings strung thin, I pulled their telepathic connections, rending their controllers mute. Without a voice guiding them, the aberrations lost all reason. They were given no mind, and in their chaos, I found triumph.

Across their lines of defense, I unleashed havoc. Through their weakness, my strength exposed itself. I ravaged with the might of a berserker; the Harbinger's will guiding me. My mind was made with this intention, and I relished in this moment, the orange blood dispersing at my touch. Its color, like the monster's deaths, was beautiful. It was the same with their screams, each a symphony to my ears.

Similar in style to Torix, I slaughtered many in a single stroke while coldly calculating my next targets. Against their enemy tide, I assessed and assimilated. I devoured and destroyed. In my wake, I was ravager unrelinquished, one without equal and without end. I splayed molten glass across my enemys' skins, keeping it heated despite the water sapping the mass's heat. I tore their minds and souls apart, engulfing the corpses they left behind. Without a beginning nor end, I ripped apart their meager defenses.

They shattered beneath me, their fear absolute yet not enough to satiate my hunger. I was starving for the abomination's deaths, for I understood my purpose and what I was - one created to kill monsters. I was a destroyer of the blighted and without closure. On the passing horizons of their lives, I feasted on their fears. On their eventual deaths, I gave them release.

As their time passed and my showing finished, I moved back towards the bubble protecting my allies from the elements. The albony here existed as fragile, wispy entities. Why this water harmed them, I didn't fully understand. It left me wondering how they survived. I came to a realization - in many ways, I still did not understand the world I was in. Walking towards the others, I met the eye of Helios. I bowed before him,

”I hope that my performance was satisfactory.”

The albony did not answer. I winced, my face unable to convey my disappointment. I must have failed. I expected this outcome from the beginning. Attempting to match my master was a foolish idea and an even more foolish course of action. How could I sustain through such a comparison? It was beyond me and my limited mind.

I waited for words scorched in venom and hatred. Instead, mocking words came towards ears that weren't my own. My creator whistled and spoke,

”Hah, told you so. He kicked some serious ass.”

Helios murmured, ”To think it could destroy with such abandon. I almost find it insulting that you'd bow to me, golem. It seems disingenuous.”

I stared at the oceanic floor, dried sand over stone, ”I mean no ill intent. I am merely showing respect given our positions.”

Florence laughed before clapping loud, ”Hah, and here I thought Obolis understood the cipher. A golem like this has never been created. There's no telling what Obolis would pay for this thing.”

My creator spoke with pride, ”He's not for sale.”

Warmth spread in my mind at his words. He sounded pleased with my performance. Daniel tapped my back,

”Isn't that right?”

I stood straight and looked him in the eye. I pointed at myself for clarification, ”You wish for my opinion?”

”Yeah. I do.”

”But my opinion is irrelevant.”

My creator's eyes rolled in his skull, ”Pshh, I can tell we gave you a little too much humility.”

”It was the correct amount of humility, given my station as a tool. Tools should not correct their purpose. Their purpose is evident in their creation.”

Florence leaned closer to me, ”I never imagined a golem could hold such philosophical approaches to life and existence. You're an interesting fellow.”

I bowed to him, ”Thank you.” Standing upright, I said, ”As you are interested, I will convey my full understanding of my directives. My ultimate goal is the control and elimination of volatile life forms known as the eldritch. I also wish for the destruction of the Hybrids. My goals were predetermined, and they leave little room for confusion.”

I turned to my creator, ”Thank you for giving me this peace. Living with doubt is painful, and I am glad I lack it.”

My creator brandished his knuckles while grinning wickedly,

”Speaking of Hybrids, how about we go kill some more of them?”

My own eyes showed red as his jagged smile oozed crimson,

”I do so willingly.”

-Daniel-

I stepped past Alpha, the golem menacing and bloodthirsty. It attacked the weak points of the Hybrids far more than expected, and I had a thing or two to learn from the guy. Alpha's mind magic was geared towards the telepathic tetherings of the Hybrids and their rulers. By tearing at that weakness, he sent their carefully coordinated attacks into complete disarray.

Honing in on deficiencies was worth learning from since it made his fight more manageable than otherwise. When I hung onto battles desperately, I did the same. As of late, I crashed through my enemies without much thought, and that was a poor habit. Lessons learned aside, it looked like Ophelia's coded desires for killing eldritch were working well. If anything, they might be a bit too effective. I didn't want him to lose control of himself and get killed in the process. Keeping that in mind, I pointed at Florence and Kessiah,

”Sit beside them and keep them safe. That should give you plenty of Hybrids to kill as we move forward.”

Alpha bowed as usual, ”As you will it, let it be so.”

I gestured to our vanguard of Alastair and Victoria, ”Let's go. We've got a long day ahead of us.”

Florence put his hands on his hips and looked down, ”We do. The Hybrids attacked in mass last night. We're going to need to retake a lot of the territory we conquered over the past few days.”

I raised an eyebrow, ”Really now? Why isn't the Empire able to keep the places we've given them?”

Florence shook his head, ”They're focusing primarily on more established planets where resources are plentiful. Getting them involved here is going to require an easy fix. I'm just hoping that our plan with Hod and Amara comes through. Otherwise, this planet will fall.”

I cracked my neck, ”Then let's get started.”

We began our assault, clearing out nearby Hybrids remaining from Alpha's first attack. After that, we spent most of the day regaining pieces of Blegara that were under assault by newly crafted Hybrids. This meant we focused almost entirely on regaining already conquered territories, and despite our efforts, the war seemed decided. The Hybrids arrived in greater swarms each and every day. Their production, transport, and organization improved at every turn as well.

Our team kept pace, our skills improving as well. On the other hand, the Empire struggled. The Empire commissioned mercenaries to fight here, and while they patched holes in their ranks, the fighters costed credits. As more mercenaries died, the price for their services rose. This stressed the Empire further. If anything, it was a matter of time before this planet was crushed regardless of our influence.

It was a painful sight to take in. Our team couldn't be everywhere at once, and the albony's morale wore down as friendly reinforcements came in. These back up soldiers were from other, less nationalistic races which the Empire drafted from their many controlled planets. This hodgepodge of different species no longer cared for victory after seeing the losses and reports coming in.

They just wanted to survive. That short term mindset and lack of unity hurt the Empire's chances of winning this war, exposing the issues with having their class system. After all, why would lower class members of a system fight to sustain the system pushing them into the dirt?

They wouldn't, and they didn't.

That scorn showed here. The mercenaries still fought well, but conscripted fighters from controlled worlds did not. Schema's abject lack of support didn't help matters either. Hybrids didn't give as much experience as they were worth; the danger of facing one far outweighed the resulting reward. Simultaneously, Schema's regrouping took time for his fleet, and these planets were left suffering for it.

Without our specialized team's support, Blegara would've fallen a week ago. I hadn't realized at the time, but we kept them afloat, my team's ability to clear Hybrids unmatched. It was a shame because Blegara, when untarnished, was a beautiful world. I found that out as we ran through its many territories along Saphigia's outskirts.

Here, at the edges of the conflict in the inner city, Vagni lived without the war hampering them. These villages fed the industrial might of their capital. As 'suburbs,' they showcased lives unperturbed by the war raging in the cityscape miles away. The Vagni here created means of subsistence, simple as they were, that supported their ways of life.

They roosted their collections of coral housing on elevated platforms of sandstone. In between these places, roadways were made from long threads etched with seashells. They followed these lines, finding various lofty landmarks to hang the strands on. Those markers carried different kinds of significance, and it wasn't uncommon to see Vagni leave food in those places.

Eldritch ate and nibbled there, and the offerings prevented attacks on the Vagni that traveled down these roads. They would be carrying enormous loads of various goods from seashells, corals, stones, foods, and preserved creatures. They harvested all these resources from the many farmlands we passed over.

Those homesteads carried many kinds of produce like clam farms created over artificial sandstone. The Vagni used the glue from barnacle-like creatures to solidify sand into these towers. On those towers, they implanted barnacles that filter fed to grow. These farms created vast fields of pillars situated along the flow of currents.

The water flow kept the filter feeders fed, and just beyond these clam ranges, the Vangi planted even vaster kelp farms. It was a smart plan as the pillar farms cleared the water of parasites, plankton, and other pests. This allowed kelp to grow without any impediment, giving them a quick, efficient production of foods.

Other kinds of industries showed themselves amidst all the clams, however. Those kelp farm setups required large lots of land actually, and competition for those prime territories was fierce. Some Vagni failed to succeed, ending up with lots of barren sand that weren't as expansive. To make ends meet, other plants were grown.

In these smaller farms, spnots of shade sprinkled the horizon as they grew algae at the ocean's surface. These algae could be harvested more often than kelp, resulting in more food for less effort. I discovered all of this from fragmented, telepathic communications with Vagni in these areas. That wasn't all I learned either. Most vagni hated algae-based food, and it was considered fare for the poor.

That created a disdain for the algae farmers who blotted out portions of the sea-skyline. Vagni preferred open views of the ocean's surface, so lots of those farms actually lowered property values nearby. Many of these algae spots were considered ugly and unrefined, even by the cannibals.

Personally, I preferred the shady spots. They let the rest of the sunshine leak in from streaks, creating stripes of sunlight. Other parts of the countryside showed a few other individualized endeavors as well. One of the smaller clam farmers used the glue farmed from his barnacles to create shell statues.

The Vagni would crush the shells into pieces, then create a sand mosaic of the broken bits glued together. It impressed me enough that I bought a few using some of their currency, the old teeth of eldritch. I had plenty of those, having picked up quite a fortune of them yesterday alone.

It may sound like I was on vacation, but I used bits of freetime I had that others didin't. I worked with a team, and they needed breaks. During those downtimes, I explored these parts of this world. If anything, I enjoyed being here more than Giess. Though dark and brooding, the world held an edge that interested me.

That exploration was also how I found signs of our losing war effort as well. The Vagni once feared the albony as tyrants. Many Vagni watched those same tyrants be eaten alive. Having their territories taken and retaken over and over also put the neutral Vagni in a prey centric state of mind. They wanted order at any cost, and with the frequent setbacks the Empire experienced, the Vagni preferred Elysium's rule.

That was a general theme I'd seen so far. The Empire's efforts, while valiant, weren't comparable to Elysium's. This explained why the Vagni and the Adairs rebelled when they did. They enacted Torix's rendition of their plan precisely, overwhelming the Empire with an endless swarm of Hybrids. The Adairs kept meaningful casualties to a minimum, and over time, those lack of losses manifested as gains in territory.

These factors made Elysium confident in their victory here. By the end of the day, they weren't the only ones who understood who would win this war either. The Empire was simply giving up too much ground. Even though we succeeded yesterday, the Hybrids regained almost more than we could reconquer.

Those results left a bitter taste in my mouth as we finished fighting on Blegara for the day. As we warped back to Mt. Verner, I dwelled on the results of today. Our plan was the albony's only hope of keeping their planet, which left me peeved a bit. I expected better fighting efforts from Obolis. If anything, the Empire was more of an economic power than a warring one.

Our brand new guild, with its limited resources, was outdoing their planetary efforts for Blegara. That might not be the case elsewhere, but it was evident on the sea planet. This changed my mindset regarding the Empire. My approach up until now was one built on trusting them. After having seen the results of their battles, I now understood why Obolis offered to contract my guild in the first place. We provided a more valuable service than I first thought.

That wasn't to say my approach failed until now, but to make sure our guild got its worth, I pivoted my strategy here. As I paced up towards Torix's office of sorts, I resolved to get more out of this deal with the Empire. I was all for alliances, but I wasn't big on getting taken advantage of.

That left me thinking. Bartering for more of Obolis's treasures was a method of achieving my aims, but that left the Emperor with enormous control. He knew which pieces were valuable and which ones weren't, leaving me in the dark. I preferred a deal where I wasn't hoping he'd treat us well.

Those thoughts bounced in my head as I paced into Torix's everchanging lair. He situated himself on the third floor, expanding his many graphs, charts, and maps into a hallway leading to his residence. At this point, his pacing left stone rubbed raw, Torix's common walking paths evident.

Meandering along one of those blemished walkways, Torix walked up to me,

”Ah, it's good to see you again, disciple.”

I gave the guy a nod, opening up my dimensional storage, ”Yeah, it's good to see you too.”

Torix locked his hands behind himself, ”I believe you've some sort of sample or specimen to show me. I was wondering what it was.”

I pulled out one of the alien crystals I found along the bottom of Blegara's many underwater trenches. With my other hand, I generated a stone table and pillar beneath it, giving me somewhere to set the gemstone,

”You and me both.”

The crystal glowed with a magenta hue, magnificent and vibrant. Torix locked in on the crystalline structure, his fascination apparent,

”Ah, I understand why you wanted us to inspect this. There's little in the way of mana signatures resonating from these glowing structures. They lack any notable, geometric, or crystalline structures I'd see in most minerals as well.”

Torix peered back, ”There's no mind in these things either, though they seem to be...Hm, alive? Perhaps not. It's hard to say.” He looked up at me, ”It's no wonder you brought them to me. I can barely make sense of these at all.”

Torix cackled, ”Hah, interesting. Very interesting. I say we test these crystals and their reactions to a few specimens under my wing. What do you say to that proposition?”

I shrugged, ”Eh, it can't hurt.”

Torix's fire eyes flared, ”Not the both of us, at least. For others, well-” Torix scoffed,

”I'm sure they'll live.”